Focus on Hunger and Food Insecurity

 

JLP Partners with Local Agencies to Address Hunger and Food Insecurity

 

Each day, one in five families in greater Portland struggles to put enough food on the table.  Hunger and food insecurity affects a child’s ability to grow and learn, a parent’s ability work productively, and a senior citizen’s ability to stay healthy.  For these reasons and more, the Junior League of Portland is pleased to embark on its second year of working to alleviate hunger and food insecurity in the greater Portland area.

Last year, the Junior League partnered with several local agencies to address the issue, including Mission Possible Teen Center,  Project GRACE,  Preble Street Resource Center, and the Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging, making immediate impacts for families in need.  Throughout the year, the Junior League:

· Prepared and served more than 200 meals for low-income, at-risk teens

· Made monthly deliveries of food staples to more than 20 isolated senior citizens

· Fed almost 50 families over the holidays by donating and organizing complete ‘meals in a bag’

· Saved 40 families money by helping them identify low-cost healthy recipes

· Donated more than 1,000 pounds of food to a local food pantry during its most critical months

· Helped seniors plant a garden so they could enjoy healthy, low-cost vegetables throughout the summer

· Awarded a $2,000 grant to Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging’s meal programs

 

This year, the Junior League will continue these efforts and more!  The Junior League has begun a search process to identify its next Signature Project partner.  This partner will join with the Junior League and embark on a large-scale effort to alleviate hunger and food insecurity in the community.  For more information, or to get involved in alleviating hunger and food insecurity in your community, contact the Junior League of Portland (email: info@jlpmaine.org) today!